WAX ON, WAX OFF
It seems like everyone is watching Cobra Kai at the moment. Originally made for YouTube Premium, the Karate Kid sequel series is now on Netflix and finding a whole audience.
You would not have really thought that a continuation of The Karate Kid films would become one of the most-watched shows of 2020 – but Cobra Kai is far, far better than anyone expected. For the series, the focused is switched to Johnny Lawrence, the antagonist of the first movie, who is now in his 50s and down on his luck. The series’ hero, Daniel LaRusso, is now a successful car dealership owner, and in all honesty, a bit of a dick.
It is such a fun inversion of the original that offers a new perspective on the cliches of inspirational sports dramas. Both stars of The Karate Kid, William Zabka and Ralph Macchio return as Johnny and Daniel respectively. Zabka brings real pathos to the role, and Macchio is great as the smarmy douchbag Daniel has grown up to be.
Two series originally ran on YouTube Premium, the video streaming giant’s paid-for service. However, YouTube Premium has never really broken through as a subscription model (probably because people are so used to getting content for free on there), so while the show got great reviews and word of mouth, it wasn’t really a mainstream hit.
Netflix knows a good thing when they see it through, and picked the show up for a third season.
But enough about Cobra Kai – how much do you remember from the original Karate Kid? The 1984 movie seemed like it was a summer holiday stable that was always on TV in the 1990s. It was such a big hit that it led to two proper sequels, a semi-reboot with a new karate kid, and a proper remake starring Jackie Chan in 2010. So how well will you do on our quiz?
